Rami Malek ‘Not Aware’ of Bryan Singer Charges Before ‘Rhapsody’

With new allegations against fired Bohemian Rhapsodydirector Bryan Singer now surfacing, the movie's star, Rami Malek, said he had no knowledge of the charges while they were working on the movie together.

“As far as I knew, I was considered before Bryan was even attached," he told the Los Angeles Times. "So I had my head down preparing for this for about a year ahead of time, and I never really looked up. I didn’t know much about Bryan. I think that the allegations and things were, believe it or not, honestly something I was not aware of, and that is what it is. Who knows what happens with that … but I think somehow we found a way to persevere through everything that was thrown our way.”

Shortly after Singer was removed from the Queen biopic in December 2017, a lawsuit was filed claiming he committed sexual assault in 2003. He was replaced by Dexter Fletcher with only a few weeks of shooting remaining.

Within days of that, news stories claimed Singer and Malek openly clashed on the set and the director didn't return after a Thanksgiving break because he was caring for his sick mother. Then came word of a lawsuit alleging that Singer had forced a 17-year-old boy to perform oral sex on him and then raped him during a party on a yacht.

Producer Graham King recently confirmed that Singer's dismissal was the result of his desire to put the film on hiatus to take care of his personal life -- a delay the studio didn't want. King also credited Malek for "driving that train" to help steer the film to completion.

The Atlantic just published an article, the result of a year's worth of investigating, that alleges Singer had been having sexual relations -- some consensual, others forced -- with underage boys as young as 13 since 1997. The story noted that more than 50 sources were interviewed, though many wished to remain anonymous out of fear the publicity could hurt their careers.

Singer denied the contents of the expose in a statement issued to Deadline. "The last time I posted about this subject, Esquire magazine was preparing to publish an article written by a homophobic journalist who has a bizarre obsession with me dating back to 1997," he wrote. "After careful fact-checking and, in consideration of the lack of credible sources, Esquire chose not to publish this piece of vendetta journalism.

“That didn’t stop this writer from selling it to The Atlantic,” he continued. “It’s sad that The Atlantic would stoop to this low standard of journalistic integrity. Again, I am forced to reiterate that this story rehashes claims from bogus lawsuits filed by a disreputable cast of individuals willing to lie for money or attention. And it is no surprise that, with Bohemian Rhapsody being an award-winning hit, this homophobic smear piece has been conveniently timed to take advantage of its success.”

When Bohemian Rhapsody won two Golden Globes, for Best Motion Picture -- Drama and a Best Actor award for Malek, last month, Singer was not mentioned in any of the acceptance speeches. He responded by posting a photo from the set on Instagram with the caption, “What an honor. Thank you #HollywoodForeignPress."

Bohemian Rhapsody is still on a roll. It's been nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor, as well as some technical nods.